Hope surrounds us
by JustErinM
Summary: Hi this is my first last ship story! This is about Rachel trying to find daughter and husband (This is something i made up they are not in the show!) she also falls deeply in love with Tom I suck at the summary sorry :)


**A/N: Hello! Welcome to a new story. Ok so firstly I'm just going to put it out there that I'm almost positive that I'm loads younger than all of my readers so I'm really sorry if this story isn't amazing however I'm sure my abilities will grow as I write the story. Secondly I'm adding a few of my own characters, which I don't really see done on these last ship stories but I'm going to try! Also this is my first last ship Fanfic so I might not have my characters and Navy terminology down so i apologise!**

 **Also I had something there from beauty and the beast stuck in my head so I guess that song inspired this chapter a little.**

 **I don't own last ship as I'm sure you've already gathered.**

Rachel put her finger on the photo of her family; somehow it made her feel closer to them. No one knew she had a husband, or a daughter for that matter. She felt like she was betraying them in some way, but acknowledging them meant that she would have to come to terms with the fact that they were almost defiantly deceased, and that is not something she was ready to do.

She was so deep in thought she didn't realise that someone was standing behind her studding the picture with her. As she turned around she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Tom apologised stepping back a little. Rachel let out a deep breath and then smiled. There was silence for a little.

"She looks like you, same long brown hair, same green-brown hair," Tom said referencing the girl in the picture. Rachel turned around to look at it. It was tapped onto the inside of a black box she used for transporting medical or science supplies. Rachel smiled wider taking a moment to she the likeness as she gazed into a mirror on her left.

"Who is she?" Tom asked noticing her affection towards the girl in the photo.

"That is Zoe, she would be 13 now. She is my daughter, and that is Michael my husband," She said still transfixed on the photo.

"You never told me you had a family," Tom replied, he was almost hurt that she hadn't told her but he could sense she didn't really feel like talking about it.

"Well, I didn't really want to come to terms with the fact they were most likely dead. However we are here now so I might as well tell you. I meet Michael at collage and I guess he liked my stubbornness, embraced it, which many people don't. He also accepted the fact I was married to my work which again it's hard to find someone who accepts that. We were madly in love, well I am still madly in love with him, and I can't really tell if the feeling mutual as I haven't seen him in ages but anyway. Zoe came along and well that's the end of the story really," Rachel answered now staring directly into Tom's eyes. He was surprised by how blunt she was being but then again she was Dr Scott, it was in her nature. She took a moment to let it all sink before cleaning everything away.

"Thanks, for telling me Rachel, do you know where they are?" Tom asked, he never called her Rachel but he just felt like this was the time to. She paused for a moment and played with the shorter parts of her hair that feel around her face.

"They moved near Baltimore, they wanted to be in America to see me more," Rachel said letting a tear fall down her face.

Tom was immediately at her side wiping the tear of her face and pulling her into a hug.

"Well what are we waiting for we need to send out a team!" Tom exclaimed.

"Really, you would do that?" Rachel asked pulling out of the hug. Tom felt bad that she was surprised that they would send out a team for her.

"We have for everyone else, and if we find them they will come live on the ship!" Tom told her, he was using a very calm tone of voice, and he had never seen Rachel like this before so he didn't quite know how to calm her down but he seemed to be helping.

"I can go with them right?" Rachel asked, Tom though she sounded like a little kid which made his heart melt. He didn't like to admit it but there was something there between them. Something beautiful which he couldn't bring himself to admit but in the deepest places of his heart that he didn't like to explore it was there and he knew it was.

"Well, Rachel if we lose you..." Tom said not really knowing the right words to use.

"You went to find you kids didn't you? Mike went to find his, god Kara, a pregnant woman got to go!" Rachel protested. Tom sighed, she was so good at this, and she always won.

"Ok fine, but I want to stay by my side at all costs!" He demanded. She smiled at little. It felt like a huge wait was being lifted of her shoulders.

As tom left he felt heartbroken, after his late wife he was almost sure he would never learn to love again, never learn what it was like to have complete trust in someone. He'd found it but it had been ripped away from him, she loved someone else, and I felt like someone was stabbing him in the centre of his heart. He needed to see his children; they were the closes thing to Darien. After a long time of looking he found them sitting with Ava in a circle talking. It was heart warming to see how close Ava and Ashley where, after all they had a lot in common. He could hear them giggling and talking and sharing secrets and he didn't want to disturb the only happiness his children had for a long time so instead he found himself wondering aimlessly around the ship. He was looking up at the ceiling when he heard little sniffles and sobs. He stopped in his tracks to find the source of the crying, he knew it wasn't Rachel because she had the quietest cry known to man and his children's cries could probably damage your hearing. Instead the cry was soft, almost as if someone was trying to stop it and as he turned the corner he saw Kara sitting in a small gap in the bridge.

"Kara?" He asked in a soft, gentle voice. Kara's hand where covering her face and as soon as she saw Tom she tried to stand up.

"No, no Kara, at ease Lt. Foster," Tom soothed, putting a hand on her shoulder and sitting down with her.

"So, are you going to tell me what's up or do you want me to get Danny?" Tom asked patting her back. Kara wasn't really looking at him but as he said that she looked him in the eyes and panic filled her eyes.

"No, please don't I really don't want him to see me like this Captain," Kara pleaded.

"Don't worry Kara I won't, as long as you tell me what's bothering you, and stop calling me Captain," Tom said smiling down at her.

"Sorry Captain, I... I mean Tom," Kara stuttered, Tom chuckled.

"Well, i guess I'm just letting what happened all sink in you know, the baby, Avocet, them trying to take him/her. And oh god I can't even look at Alisha and I know she had nothing to do with it but she looks so much like her mum and I guess I'm a really bad person but," Kara babbled, she spoke so quickly Tom could only just make out her words.

"Oh Kara, these thing, they take time. I just hope you know Alisha didn't have anything to do with it," Tom smiled.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry about this Sir," Kara replied trying to wipe her eye which wasn't working as the tears wouldn't stop falling.

"It's Tom and don't worry, you remind me of my little sister acutely," Tom said smiling at the memory.

"You had a sister?" Kara asked curiously.

"Yes, she was 10 years younger than me so I was always very protective of her," Tom answered.

"Do you know where she is?" Kara asked and Tom simply shook his head in reply.

"I'm sorry Tom," Kara said trying to smile.

"Thanks," Tom said smiling as he pulled Kara in for a hug.


End file.
